


take me to your trees

by supernaturalsun



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Not Hockey Players, Best Friends to Lovers, Childhood Friends to Lovers, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:41:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25022581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supernaturalsun/pseuds/supernaturalsun
Summary: “I can come with you,” Tyson answers. “I mean, if you want a hot date to impress them you should probably bring Gabe or Segs. Gabe can’t act for shit and Tyler… Well he’s Tyler. He’ll be extra enthusiastic and added to your former classmates that might be a lot to handle but either way, you’ll make everyone in the room jealous, including the 100% straight guys.”
Relationships: Tyson Barrie/Jamie Benn, other pairings implied/present in the last scenes
Comments: 4
Kudos: 36
Collections: Pucking Rare - A Hockey Rarepair Challenge





	take me to your trees

**Author's Note:**

> This is taking place in 2017. I've added more notes at the end to expand a little on the universe but the fic takes place in Denver (well, the small part that isn't happening in Victoria anyway).
> 
> I can't believe it actually took me so long to write one of my all time fave trope.
> 
> I made an aesthetic post which you can find [here](https://legendsnart.tumblr.com/tagged/fics-aesthetics).

_“Instead I will say, "Take me to your trees. Take me to your breakfasts,_

_your sunsets, your bad dreams, your shoes, your nouns._

_Take me to your fingers; take me to your deaths."_

_These are worth it. These are what I have come for.”_

_― Margaret Atwood_

“Earth to Jamie, attempt to get your attention number thirty-five— Hey ! Rude,” Tyson stops with a whine mixed with a laugh when Jamie throws a fry at him. “Don’t make me teach you that food shouldn't be wasted J, you’re not one of my 5 years old.”

Jamie wants to groan but he ends up rolling his eyes and throwing a fond smile in Tyson’s direction before retrieving the fry from where it fell on the table and eating it with a full sip from his beer.

“Sorry, I was in my head. I’m all yours now.”

“Yeah I noticed. What’s wrong ?”

“Nothing—” Jamie starts to lie and then he sees Tyson’s unimpressed look and sighs. “ _Barely_ anything. It’s just, our dear highschool has decided to throw a big ten years anniversary reunion for our class and they keep sending me the infos because I said yes and— Jordie and Jenny didn’t even have one, I don’t even know why they’re doing it.”

Predictably so, Tyson frowns. “O-kay. But why are you freaking out if you’re the one who agreed to go ?”

Jamie ducks his head, color rising in his cheeks as he goes for the rest of his beer. The thing is, Jamie agreeing to this had happened out of spite and pride the last time he went to visit Jordie in Dallas and got drunk with him. He’d said that he was above everything that happened during his highschool years and he wasn’t the same person anymore and he wasn’t afraid to go. Obviously Jordie had to dare him to go and Jamie, thank you tequila for alcohol-induced idiocy, had angrily taken his phone out of his pocket to answer the email yes.

He could have sent another email to cancel later, once sober, but Jamie had pride. And maybe he wanted to prove Jordie wrong even though he was probably on his side on the subject. Whatever.

“It’s just—” Jamie starts, rubbing his neck, trying to find the right words. “I’m not sure I want to watch a bunch of people I’ve never cared about brag about their stupid job and their supposedly amazing wife/husband and their _adorable_ kids and shit.” He tries to shrug, the movement probably a little to hard to convey the desired effect. “I mean, it’s not like I have much to compare with.”

There’s a frown on Tyson’s face, one that Jamie knows to read _oh no Jamie Benn, you didn’t just say that come on_ unlike the simple _what the fuck are you talking about_ that had appeared earlier.

It’s been a while since Jamie said something so self-deprecating about himself. He had gained in self-confidence during the last years and Tyson had been a front row seat witness to how he had gotten a life he enjoyed for himself. Highschool was just bringing back bad memories.

“I can come with you,” Tyson answers. “We’ll visit my parents and yours at the same time, kill two or three birds with one stone. I’m sure you can get a +1 for these kind of things.”

“I—” Jamie looks at Tyson and he sees the determination in his eyes and the lines on his forehead that he gets when he’s really concentrated on something. There’s something eager and hopeful in Tyson’s smile and Jamie’s weak, he feels himself relax a little. “I guess ? I might have to email them again but yeah.”

That gets a bright smile out of Tyson.

“I mean, if you want a hot date to impress them you should probably bring Gabe or Segs. Gabe can’t act for shit and Tyler… Well he’s Tyler. He’ll be extra enthusiastic and added to your former classmates that might be a lot to handle but either way, you’ll make everyone in the room jealous, including the 100% straight guys.”

Jamie very pointedly does _not_ spit out some of his beer at Tyson’s words. He might snort and make his nose burn, that’s it. “You’re so dumb, please stop spending your entire days with actual children.”

Tyson sticks his tongue out, which yeah, not exactly not proving Jamie’s point here.

“I’ll remind you that I did years of theater, I’m a great actor. I’ll look so pretty and glowing at your side, I’ll make them jealous of _me_.”

Jamie blinks and has a borderline nervous laugh. He’s known Tyson for two decades so he can tell that Tyson isn’t joking. And he just painted a very interesting picture for Jamie to live. Something Jamie shouldn’t imagine. Something Jamie knows he shouldn’t be thinking about.

“Sure thing, Tys.”

~~~

Jamie thinks that the fantasy was nice and all and he goes to sleep trying to find an excuse not to go but the next day, he receives three texts from Tyson asking him if he sent an email to tell the organization he was bringing him.

Then they have drinks with Gabe and Nate that night and Tyson is so excited when he lays his plans, Jamie has to accept his best friend has been all-in since the moment Jamie’s face had demonstrated he needed help.

Jamie sends the email.

~~~

It’s a couple of weeks before the big day and Jamie doesn’t really think about it until it’s late friday afternoon and they’re boarding a plane to Victoria.

It’s close to 11 pm when they land and Jamie’s dad comes to get them at the airport. Jamie’s able to greet his mom and he ushers her to go to sleep by promising they’ll have the time to talk tomorrow.

They find leftovers in the fridge that they heat up and quickly take care of before going upstairs to get ready for bed.

Jordie’s room is affected to Tyson so they don’t get to spend the night in the same room but Tyson still comes knocking on his door when Jamie’s laying on his bed, fucking around on his phone. 

“Yeah,” he answers, putting his phone on his stomach.

Tyson comes in wearing the Winnie the Pooh pajamas Jamie had offered to him as a joke last year when Tyson couldn’t shut up about that Winnie the Pooh project he was doing with his students.

“Sorry bud, no honey in here,” he jokes with a smile at the corner of his lips.

Tyson grins, settling himself by Jamie’s hip and flicking Jamie on his stomach, eliciting a weak _hey_ of protest from him.

“Look babe, I… I know you’re not the happiest to be here.” Tyson starts. Jamie tries to open his mouth but Tyson just shakes his head. “I was here, I was your best friend and I know how some of these people treated you and I understand why you don’t want to see any of them. Like, that’s one hundred percent valid.” 

Jamie bites his lower lip, his eyes travelling away before finally settling on Tyson again. Deep down, he knows Tyson is right, probably. At the same time, he’s always felt so stupid about his highschool years, he’s still not yet at that point where he thinks that all of his feelings are valid.

The thing is, yeah, Jamie was bullied. It never escalated to the point where he was beaten down severely but he was this too shy too chubby kid who got mocked on a daily basis and thrown against a locker or a stairway railing once in awhile.

He had Jordie to defend him. But Jordie wasn’t always here and Jordie was older and had to leave for Jamie’s last two years of highschool. Jamie had Tyson and Tyson had stood for him so many times, but there was so much a scrawny younger kid like Tyson could do against the bulkier seniors.

It took years for Jamie to fully acknowledge that this had been actual bullying and that none of it was his fault. _I never really got hurt. It wasn’t that bad. I didn’t really mind it most of the time. Some people have it way worse, I can’t complain._ He’d mumbled the words and a variation of them to his brother and his sister and Tyson and other people he’d met later and with adulthood and new experiences and a better self-confidence, Jamie had eventually acknowledged some stuff.

Bottom line being, things were better but still not his favourite subject to be confronted to.

“But the other day,” Tyson continues. “You said that you had nothing to compare to them and oh my god Jamie, I have no idea what any of them accomplished during the last ten years but you did so good.”

Jamie blushes under the compliment, ducking his head a little while he feels Tyson poking his abs again, grabbing his attention back up.

“And like, I’m pretty sure they’ll be too afraid to say anything to your two hundred pounds of muscles and glory. You’re handsome and you’ve got arms the size of my thighs and thighs the size of tree trunks. Anyone would be frankly stupid to say anything to you.”

A strangled laugh escapes Jamie’s mouth and he’s pretty sure that he’s blushing even harder now. He wants to turn his head away but when he looks at Tyson and see that blinding smile and that god forsaken _fondness_ on his face, it’s hard to move.

“More importantly, you’re part of my top 5 favourite human beings on Earth and this fact on his own already says a lot about you as a person.”

“Only top 5 ?” He asks with a grin.

“Yeah well, gotta make room for my parents, my sister and Nate. I can’t play favourites.”

Honestly, Jamie’s smile right now is probably more stupid than he would be comfortable with if he could realize. 

“Good night Tyson.”

Tyson answers with a smile so fond, Jamie’s only desire is to ask him to stay, be soft and reassuring by Jamie’s side. It wouldn’t even be that weird, they’ve been friends for twenty years, they’ve shared beds before. 

Jamie could find himself excuses but he knows it’s a good time for it. Instead of blurting out his demand, he keeps his mouth shut and switches his bedside lamp off when Tyson answers, “Good night Jamie, sweet dreams.”

~~~

Lunch with Jamie’s parents goes surprisingly well despite Jamie’s nerves starting to be all agitated when he gets up.

Jamie knows that his parents have always considered Tyson like one of their own sons and the meal is equal parts questions about how Jamie’s restaurant is doing and how delightful and full of surprises Tyson’s students have been lately.

Everything feels natural and simple, and Jamie’s way less nervous comes dessert. 

It might take Jamie half a minute to stop blushing and eventually answers a small _yeah_ when his father tells him that “It was really nice of Tyson to come with you” but he’s alright. 

Jamie’s mom drop them at Tyson’s parents house on her way to the groceries and it doesn’t take long for Jamie to be engulfed in a big hug from Mrs Barrie. He’s very quick to return the hug back.

If the highschool reunion ends up being a real disaster, at least they got some good things out of this week-end.

~~~

Around 8, they take an uber to their highschool and the ride is pretty quiet until Tyson turns to face Jamie with two little boxes seemingly out of his pockets.

“So, I got us these. We don’t have to wear them but I think it’d be a nice touch so…”

Jamie blinks and opens one of the boxes to find what really looks like a wedding ring inside. _Wait what._

“Don’t worry, they’re not real. This isn’t platinum. I have a friend who work has a prop artist in a theater company and she said I could borrow them against a small favour,” Tyson explains, as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

“Wait Tys, you want to be my husband ?” Jamie frowns. It was clear to him that the whole _hot date_ thing had been a joke to play with until the last minute. There hadn’t been any moment when he’d considered that Tyson could have been actually serious.

“Well, I mean, we don’t have to.” For the first time since the beginning of this week-end Tyson sounds hesitant and awkward, it’s not a sight Jamie enjoys a lot. “Of course you don’t need a relationship to be superior to them or anything. Like, your whole existence and everything you’ve accomplished until now is enough. It was just like...”

Tyson makes a move with his left hand, like he’s trying to convey a message he doesn’t have the words for. With the lights of the city filtering through the windows, Jamie can catch the blush on Tyson’s cheeks and the ring he is still holding in his right hand.

Jamie takes a look at Tyson, the way his eyes shine while he bites on his lower lip just as he always does when he’s nervous. Jamie wants this to be a bad idea so he has a motive to say no but there are so many reasons he wants to say yes, he just has to.

The car is slowing down in front of their former highschool when Jamie puts on his ring first and then takes care of Tyson, taking the metal band from his palm to slide it over his ring finger. 

After saying his thanks and goodbye to the driver, Jamie gets out of the car and with a cheeky grin on his face, he holds out his hand for Tyson to take. “Come on hubby, we’ve got people to make jealous.”

~~~

Jamie can’t remember what he imagined exactly (probably because of the too numerous times where he tried to picture the event) but the reality is probably easier than what he was preparing himself for. 

Truth be said, Jamie had feared for the worst so, not hard to do better. But anyway. At the very least there is wine and Jamie doesn’t have to go through the whole thing sober.

They all wear ridiculous tags with their name on their chest but people more often than not recognize Tyson before Jamie, which, fair. Tyson might have been two years younger than most people in the room, he had still been more outgoing and easier to get to know than Jamie.

In the end, Jamie is really glad for that fact as it allows him to let Tyson make the conversation and make people up to date on their life. He chimes in a _yeah_ or a polite _oh nice_ once in a while and everything is great, manageable.

Then, as it was probably bound to happen, someone takes notice of their rings.

“Wait, you two are married ?” Linda Mayweather inquires. Jamie can’t describe her tone but he immediately knows he doesn’t like it. It’s not disgusted or mean or _bad_ per se. Maybe judgmental, the wrong side of curious. Jamie doesn’t like it. But he’s never liked Linda Mayweather either, so.

Tyson must feel him tense up because he decides to grab Jamie’s hand and squeeze it. Jamie squeezes back, sharing a quick look with Tyson.

“Yeah, it’ll be our third year anniversary at the end of the month. I’ll text you our address so you can send us a gift if you want,” Tyson jokes.

Linda’s laugh is clipped and Jamie wants to give on a smile that would probably be to big to be acceptable. Instead, he turns his head to whisper against Tyson ear. “So you didn’t lie about those acting skills, uh.”

Jamie feels Tyson’s face vibrate with his soft laugh and then Tyson is turning his face, their noses brushing. “When did I ever lie to you, babe,” he answers out loud.

It takes every ounce of Jamie’s control to not kiss Tyson right on the post.

“He proposed to me four years ago when we were on a trip in Italy,” Tyson decides to continue, facing Linda and her husband. 

A strangled sound gets stuck in Jamie’s throat and he has to fake scoff to mask the problem away. 

To be true to facts, Tyson and him had been on a trip together to Italy four summers ago. They’d gone with a couple of other friends around Roma and Napoli and had an overall really great time. Still makes Jamie feels funny for Tyson to use one of their actual memories to sell their marriage. 

“Lovely,” Linda comments. “And where are you now ? No one’s really heard of you two since graduation.”

Jamie almost snorts, takes a sip from his glass instead. It’s beyond him why Linda’s still talking to them except to be her gossip self.

“We moved around and life eventually took us to Denver,” Tyson keeps going. “Jamie‘s a chef and he actually owns his own restaurant. He took over an old place, worked on it to remodel and decorate it during a couple of months. Now he’s got ten people working for him and the address is pretty well known in downtown Denver.”

Jamie’s smile is probably splitting his face in two and he actually goes past his nerve to press a kiss against Tyson’s temple. 

He knew that Tyson enjoyed his place and he better should since he’d been there all along, giving an occasional hand to help with the repairs and being the best shoulder to lean on when everything felt like too much for Jamie. He knew but hearing the pride in Tyson’s voice still felt like a pure shot of serotonin.

“Thanks babe,” Jamie decides to take over. “This one never accepts compliments but he’s not so bad himself. He’s been a kindergarten teacher for years now and he’s had the occasions to set up some amazing projects, notably with disabled kids and minorities. It’s really great.”

Tyson’s slowly shaking his head from left to right but Jamie can also catch the smile at the corner of his lips. Jamie thought it would be childish and beneath him but rubbing their accomplishment in people he used to hate’s faces was actually quite nice.

“Okay well, Mark here is a lawyer—,”

Jamie mutes Linda in his head before the end of her first sentence. He was perfectly aware that this whole conversation had mostly been about her being able to brag about what she could but Jamie was having none of it, thank you very much.

~~~

When he goes outside to take a breath of fresh air, Jamie has the nice surprise to find himself standing next to Melissa Sting, probably the only person he was actually glad to see tonight and the one who would have probably deserved for him to keep in contact with.

He acknowledges her presence with a smile and a tip of his glass while he finds his eyes captured by Tyson animatedly talking to a group of people farther away.

“I knew I should have become a professional fortune teller. I’ve always called this,” Melissa gets his attention back and Jamie feels like he’s just been caught red-handed.

“Uh ?” He elegantly asks.

She smiles behind her cigarette.

“Come on J. You and Tyson. To me it’s always been obvious that you two had that extra something that wasn’t just _childhood best friends_. You know what I mean.”

Jamie wants to frown, because no, he has no idea what Melissa means and he’s supposed to keep his cover or something. 

“Sure,” he eventually manage with a smile that wants to be knowing but is probably a little too nervous. Melissa is nice enough to laugh kindly in return, pretending that they’re on the same joke even if Jamie clearly wouldn’t mind some pointers.

His stomach is doing funny things and he has to remind himself that he’s 28 years old and an actual adult with a life in Denver and friends who knows he’s gay and has never showed anything but support towards him.

The thing is, Jamie started understanding he was more interested in boys than girls when he was 15 and even though he didn’t get any experience before getting into college, he’d still spent his highschool years afraid of someone figuring him out. He would have never been able to handle all the shit Tyson had to go through for his rainbow pins and his pride caps and his sole existence.

More importantly, Jamie realizing that he might have feelings for his best friend was pretty recent all things considered. He’d been doing a lot of introspective and retrospective thinking lately and yeah, he can admit that he started feeling jealous of Tyson’s boyfriends and fantasizing a little about what they would be like together a couple years back. But to say that all those feelings and shit had already been there _ten years_ ago ? That makes his head swirl way too much.

“Don’t overthink it Benn, I’m just saying you’re cute and I’m glad you two got each other. Text me if you ever come by LA. Sophie couldn’t come today but I’m sure she would love to meet you.”

Jamie nods and tries to not look like his whole world is shaking while he exchanges phone numbers and learn that Sophie is a sports journalist that Melissa met at a baseball game. 

The next minute, Tyson comes by with the biggest smile on his face and his kissing Jamie’s cheek before reaching Melissa for a hug. Her heels give her enough height to still be able to look at Jamie and his heart very pointedly does _not_ miss a couple of beats when she winks at him. 

~~~

They take another uber back to Tyson parents’ place and Jamie starts to fall asleep a couple of times. He didn’t end up drinking _that_ much but the social interactions needed for the event had drained him quite a bit.

“Babe, we’re here,” Tyson kindly wakes him up with a hand on his shoulder. Jamie blinks and says his goodbye to the driver with about 55% of his brain.

It’s not _that_ late but Tyson’s parents are definitely sleeping so they both play it carefully and quietly as they make their way up Tyson’s old bedroom and get ready for sleep.

It’s far from the first time they have to share a bed but after the evening they had, it feels almost casual and domestic, to slip under the covers together as if it was any other day in their life.

Jamie tries to go to sleep right away but after a solid ten minutes of moving around he’s forced to recognize that it’s not going to happen right this minute. The room’s pitch black and there’s very little he can see but Jamie positions himself on his side and he knows he quickly have Tyson facing him.

“Thank you, for tonight,” he eventually start with.

He feels like he should be saying a thousand other things but that’s the only one he can settle for for now.

“Anytime Jame, told you I could nail it.”

Tyson’s voice is softer than it usually is when he’s bragging and Jamie doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do with that so he just files the information away.

“I can’t believe you hide those acting talents from me.”

Tyson laughs and Jamie wishes he could see him. After their discussion he had some time to mull over what Melissa told him and to think back on what has been on the back of his mind for month. Now is probably not the best time to bring it up but Jamie’s tired and tipsy and warm and mere centimeters away from Tyson. He opens his mouth.

“I can’t believe we didn’t even have to kiss to make them believe we were together.”

He expects Tyson to laugh but he’s met with a silence that stretches for five seconds which are already five seconds too much for Jamie’s sanity.

“Yeah well, they definitely remember be as the only gay kid they knew back then. And some of them still have trouble comprehending two guys holding hands, so. The wedding bands were probably enough to sell the whole thing already.”

Okay, let it be known that Jamie has no idea how to read Tyson’s almost matter-of-factly tone.

“Tys.”

“Yeah ?”

“Thanks.”

“You already said that, bud.”

“Yeah I know. Still. Whatever. Good night.”

Jamie listens to Tyson’s quiet laugh and he jostles him lightly with his hand before closing his eyes again, starting back his pursuit of sleep. 

He barely has the time to settle on an idea to dream about before he hears Tyson speaking up.

“I— I’m glad we didn’t.” 

His voice is so small, Jamie has a moment where he believes he actually dreamt it but when he opens his eyes again, he knows Tyson is wide awake in front of him.

“What ?” Jamie elegantly frowns.

A pause, and then Tyson’s voice, more affirmed.

“The kissing thing, I’m glad it didn’t happen.”

Jamie’s heart starts hammering inside his ribcage. It’s not often that he doesn’t feel on the same wavelength as Tyson but right now surely looks like the worst of time for it to happen.

It could be a joke except that’s the opposite of what Tyson’s tone is implicating and there’s no laugh following the words and like, Tyson doesn’t always have the funniest jokes but Jamie doesn’t need to be lying in his best friend’s bed with him to learn the confirmation that said best friend doesn’t want any romantic thing to do with him.

“J,” Tyson whispers and _oh_ , Jamie realizes that he hasn’t said anything back.

“I— Yeah, sure, of course, like I love you but not _that_ much,” he answers with the least convincing voice possible.

The sound that gets out of Tyson’s mouth is close to… Frustration ? Jamie’s not really sure.

Tyson finds one of his hands and Jamie lets him hold it. Tyson starts rubbing his thumb over Jamie’s knuckles, way too fast to be considered gentle. He was nervous ? _What the fuck._

“Sorry, wrong wording. For how I talk too much on a daily basis I sure am not good with words,” he laughs in a depreciative way which would have had Jamie chiding him in any other situation. “I didn’t mean to say I didn’t want to kiss you, just— not then.” 

Jamie opens his mouth and Tyson immediately frees his hand from its grip on Jamie’s to move it up and over Jamie’s mouth. “Wait.” 

It takes a lot for Jamie to obey, what with his heart currently residing in his throat, but he keeps quiet.

“I— I’m gambling a lot here, I can’t lose you. But my proposition was completely innocent when I offered to come with you. I mean, mostly, I think, I’m not 100% certain how the subconscious part of our brain function, whatever. I didn’t want to leave you alone with some of those assholes, that was for sure.” 

And Jamie, well, he knows that but having Tyson laying it on him with determination in his voice like it is the simplest thing in the world, that’s something else. His heart might as well explode from how much it is swelling with feelings. Not being dramatic or anything.

“Anyway, back to my original point. I’d very much like to kiss you Jame, if you’re up to it. I think I’ve wanted that for awhile.” 

Jamie makes a noise in the back of his throat and Tyson lifts his hand from Jamie’s mouth but still continues with some more revelations.

“I kind of wanted our first time to be special. Maybe not like romantic and shit but… Not in front of people I couldn’t give a damn about.”

And god, Jamie doesn’t know if what gets him the most are Tyson’s words or how earnest he sounds but the biggest smile just splits his face as he closes the distance between the two of them.

“Hey Tys,” he whispers softly, his forehead mere centimeters away from Tyson’s. “Do you think your childhood bedroom where we spent hours together when we were kids is romantic enough ? Because if not, I’m ready to take us out of bed and on the next plane to Ita—” Jamie doesn’t get to finish.

Jamie doesn’t get to finish because Tyson is smiling against his mouth and then they’re kissing. It starts off tentative, close-lipped, Tyson’s mouth hesitant to move. And then Jamie pushes a little and that seems to spur Tyson on, opening his mouth to deepen the kiss and bringing his hand to Jamie’s cheek.

They keep it slow, the rhythm a counterpoint to Jamie’s barreling heartbeat. They trade lazy kisses until Jamie’s hand, which had been caressing Tyson naked side, catches on one of Tyson’s nipples and Tyson takes a sharp intake of breath that makes him lean away a little.

“We’re not having sex when my parents are down the hall.”

For one instant, Jamie wishes he could see what Tyson looks like right now. He _knows_ Tyson must have color rising on his cheeks and the prettiest puffy lips. Jamie hasn’t started playing with his curls yet but he definitely plans to in some near future.

They’re still breathing the same air and Jamie’s hand has taken place on Tyson’s waist, his thumb rubbing the skin there.

“I know,” Jamie says. “We should probably like talk or something. I think.”

Truth be told, Jamie had imagined dozens of scenarios where Tyson and him would finally get to it together and none of them came close to what was happening right now.

Jamie had pictured Tyson rejecting him after the first kiss. He’d thought of Tyson surprisingly kissing him on the dancefloor when they were in a club together, following suit with quite dangerous semi-public sex in the bathroom. He’d visualized the two of them going for it during a quiet night at home, drinks and video games forgotten and Tyson gone by the time Jamie was awake the next morning.

He hasn’t considered _this_ but it’s all the more reasons not to fuck up.

“Tomorrow,” Tyson promises, kissing him one more time.

Jamie leans into it, stealing another kiss, bringing them even closer. He was buzzing from excitement mere minutes ago but all the stress of the evening was also catching up to him, energy quietly draining itself from his body.

“Yeah,” he murmurs against Tyson’s lips, squeezing his waist with his hand. “Come here.”

Tyson lets himself being manhandled until his back is leaning against Jamie’s chest. Jamie’s arm thrown around him, fingers resting against his abs.

Jamie takes a deep breath against Tyson’s hair, feeling exactly where he should be. 

“I’m not always going to be the little spoon in this relationship,” Tyson pipes up after a minute.

There’s something warm that spread in his belly at hearing Tyson casually throwing the word _relationship_ in there and Jamie eventually manages a fond laugh followed by a kiss against Tyson’s nape. “Of course not, night Tys.” 

“Night, Jame.”

~~~

They forget to take off the rings and this leads to a pretty wild discussion when EJ takes notice of them the friday after their return during a night out with all the boys.

“We accidentally got married in Vegas,” is what Tyson blurts out.

And apparently the dubious and weirded out looks he gets from his friends are enough motivation to keep the lie going and Jamie eventually joins in. He already knows it won’t hold for long.

Jamie can actually see in everyone’s eyes the exact moment they stop believing in their bullshit (if they even started to) but Josty is the last one to finally steps down.

“Yeah no, I’m not buying it, there’s no way Tyson would have gotten married without Nate by his side. That’s never happening,” he declares confidently.

Nate laughs at that and Tyson’s facade cracks as he reluctantly agree by bumping his fist against Nate’s. “Yeah no, I can’t do that to the Dogg.”

“Oh, so the rest of us not being invited is okay but Nate gets special treatment ? I see.” EJ says, faux offended.

Tyson grins and reaches to ruffle EJ’s hair, EJ swatting at his hand.

Jamie gets distracted for a second until he focus back on what Josty said.

“Wait, the impossible part of this whole story is the absence of Nate and not the fact that me and Tyson got married _together_ ?”

Josty frowns.

“Well, I mean, you two were obviously bound to get together at some point. I wanted to start a pool for everyone to try to guess when things would finally happen but EJ wouldn’t let me.”

“That’s because you should bet on horses, not relationships,” EJ comments.

“Not my fault these two were taking fucking forever,” Josty retorts. “Like yeah sure they’re idiots. The kind who are dumb about their feelings, not the kind who get drunkenly married in Vegas. That would be Seggy and Brownie.”

“Easy babe. Not everyone declares their undying love after just one date,” JT teases.

“I did _not_ do that,” Tyson mumbles, his mild pouting driven away in a matter of seconds when JT draws him against him and presses a kiss to his temple.

Jamie feels a little like words are getting thrown around too fast for him to have the time to fully comprehend them but oddly enough, knowing that people close to them were actually expecting them to happen kind of make him feel warm all over, in a good way.

The conversation gets diverted to all the occasions where Josty had been so disgustingly in love with JT it had made all of them gag.

When he feels heat on his thigh, Jamie brings his left hand down to lace his fingers with Tyson’s. If his big smile is too big to only be reacting to Josty’s flustered faux embarrassment, well, there’s no one to really care.

**Author's Note:**

> So the way I pictured this, Jamie and Tyson both grew up in Victoria, Jamie went to university in Dallas and that’s where he met most of the Dallas crew (including both Tylers) and Jordie lives there so Jamie visits pretty often (and the Dallas crew comes by Denver too, they organize trip with everyone, it’s cool). Jamie and Tyson have been in Denver for a few years now (Tyson was there first and a friend of him had a job opportunity for Jamie and that’s how he got there).
> 
> find me @domkubaliks on tumblr :)


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